Everywhere
by AkiraDawn
Summary: What better way to show your boss how much you care than planning a completely unexpected outing? That's exactly what Reno, Rude and Elena did. A lot can happen when you take a long weekend away to Healen Lodge. Rated M for a reason!
1. The Plan Begins

Everywhere

_You know I'm Fallin' and I Don't Know What to Say_

I don't own Square Enix or anything related to it.

Not really a true timeline but let's say post Advent Children

"Hey." A voice called as she spun around in her chair to face the door of her office.

"Hey, Reno." Elena answered him pleasantly. She put her pen down and pushed her pile of papers aside.

"Since you know how to sail there's no reason for me to read this right?" Reno said handing a small book to Elena.

GUIDE TO SAILING: A 20 MINUTE TUTORIAL WITH PICTURES. The book's cover read. "Reno, honey…you really think you can learn to sail in twenty minutes? You may be the best helicopter pilot there is but believe me all the pictures in the world will not teach you to sail. Leave it all to me." Elena said throwing the book back at him.

"Good, I hate reading." Reno said pitching the book aside. "You _are_ all ready for tomorrow right?"

"You bet. Got the car packed up and everything. I just have to go to the store after work and get some things to prepare." Elena explained.

"I'm sorry we gotta drive separate and all but it's the only way to keep this thing under wraps, ya know? Director thinks we're goin' to Healen for a debriefing of sorts. Shit is he gonna be surprised! God, he's gonna be so pissed! I can't wait!" Reno said. Elena laughed. "'Cept here's the thing...why's he gotta be in to fancy, refined stuff, ya know? I can barely pronounce the name of this shit he drinks, let alone go buy it!" Reno complained.

"What? Sauvignon? It's French. It's a beautiful white wine and it goes with...well almost everything. You know, you should add a Pinot Noir. Oh! Yes! Get a Pinot Noir!" Elena said excitedly.

"How the hell do you know about this stuff? Here, write it down. I'll never remember that. Now, if you woulda said Reno, get beer. That I can understand." Reno said. Elena laughed as she scribbled the names down for Reno. "Okay, you're gonna get there first and get the boat ready, yeah?" Reno questioned.

"Yes. It's so nice of Rufus to let us use it. I swear, he's so spoiled. I mean, how many other people do we know have a sailboat laying around that they only take out twice a season?" Elena asked.

"You better not let him hear you say somethin' like that…but yeah Shinra's totally spoiled." Reno said. "You gonna take the food on the boat or put it in the lodge?"

"I'll put all the good stuff in the lodge, you know…the stuff we actually have to cook. I'll put the easy stuff on the boat." Elena said.

"Alright, Rude is going to distract him from everything while I load up the car tomorrow. We're gonna change clothes once we get to the lodge because we wanna make it look like this is all business." Reno said.

"So, how are you explaining me not being with you?" she asked.

"We're telling him that you…damn…we don't have that part covered." Reno remembered.

"Tell him I had a family emergency." Elena said.

"See, this is why you're a Turk. Way to think on your feet!" Reno said pointing at her.

"It's going to be beautiful tomorrow…and windy! That's what we need! We need windy! And you're right he's gonna' kill us but you know he will also appreciate all the thought we've put in to this." Elena said smiling. Reno laughed.

"You got that right!" he said. The timing for Rude to show up at Elena's door couldn't have been better.

"Are you two talking details?" He asked.

"Sure are. What kind of details do you have to offer?" she asked.

"I'm packed and ready for tomorrow. You should have heard how many lies I've had to make up about why we're being debriefed tomorrow. I'm tellin' you two right now Tseng is so stressed he might throw a chair through the wall by the end of the day. He needs to be away from this place like you wouldn't believe. I mean…he needs to do something to make him forget that this building even exists. He's in his office right now tearin' a SOLDIER 3rd Class's ass for something. Oh and he has twenty-two unreturned voice messages. I saw it on the read-out of his desk phone." Rude said. Elena and Reno laughed.

"To think I thought I had it bad because I have five unreturned messages and three reports to write." Elena said.

"I'm…not doin' shit this afternoon except for hangin' out with you two." Reno said.

"Well, I need to get back to work here. I want to finished by 3:30 today because I have a lot of cooking to do." Elena said.

"You know the only reason you're preparing stuff is because well…we aren't very good and Tseng has said before what a good cook you are." Rude said.

"Really? He said that? He said that about me? He said that about my cooking? He said that about me and my cooking?" Elena said quickly and rather excitedly. It was impossible for her to hide her excitement.

"Yeah, he did. Of course you make weird stuff that ends in –etta and –ini and… -ala. Tseng's in to that sort of thing." Reno said. Elena smiled all over.

"Well, I'm looking forward to everything." Rude said.

"Yeah, same here." Reno said.

"This is going to be so fun. I'll see you both tomorrow." Elena said as both Rude and Reno left her to her work.

The plan was neatly falling into place. For the past week Rude, Reno and Elena had been planning Tseng's 36th birthday. The Director's birthday couldn't have fallen on a better day. The plan was to go sailing on the lake behind Healen Lodge for the day, spend the night and come back to Midgar on Sunday. Furthermore, Tseng knew nothing about it and of all the people on the planet…Tseng hated unpredictability the most. If anyone needed a break from Shinra it was Tseng. Thank god it was a long weekend. If he wasn't glued to a cell phone he was glued to a desk and if he wasn't glued to a cell phone or a desk he was trying to _find_ his cell phone _on_ his desk. There was no one in the department who could better handle the job of Director than Tseng. Sure he worked insanely long hours, was responsible for more than he could truly handle, and was the first 'go-to' whenever something went wrong but somehow he managed to keep his sanity. It could have been because he was simply one of those people who thrived off a high-stress job. The only thing he ever needed to cope with it all was a full pot of black coffee and a bottle of aspirin. Of course, a fifth of straight whiskey always helped at times as well.

Later that day Elena stood in front of her closet. Sure she had told Reno that she was all packed up, which she was but she hadn't taken care of anything last minute that she didn't want to do in the morning before she left. She could feel fluttery nerves overcome her as she threw seemingly a hundred things out over her bed in order to choose what would be best to wear. With everything she picked up, she just changed her mind again. She hoped her heart wouldn't leap into her chest the next day the way it was right now. She had a boat to sail after all, she couldn't let the nerves of being desperately and hopelessly attracted to her boss get in the way of properly manning the helm. She stood there looking at everything on her bed and went through the scenario out loud.

"Hi, President Shinra? Sorry about capsizing your boat. Why did it happen? Oh, I'm just in love with Tseng and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing because I was too busy panting like a dog in heat over him." Elena sighed as she began throwing thing behind her in a pile. "No, no, no, eew where did I get this? No, no, too slutty" Elena paused on whatever it was that was in her hands that she deemed to be too slutty "…sooo that's a maybe..." she said to herself. "No, no, no…yes! Yes, this…is the one." Elena said finally making her decision.

Next chapter will be longer, I apologize for the shortness of this one.


	2. Surprise

"I swear gettin' him in the car this morning was like…you know, I can't even put it into words. It was a fiasco. I swear, it looks like he packed for a week when clearly this 'debriefing' is just an…Reno! Watch the road!" Rude yelled at him.

"The GPS told me to turn right!" Reno said.

"Yeah, in 500 feet dumbass. Now, look its recalculating. Anyway, sorry…Reno obviously can't drive. Are you there yet?" Rude asked Elena.

"Rude! I'm supposed to have a family emergency remember?" Elena told him.

"Oh don't worry. Tseng has been on his phone the ENTIRE trip, and he's typing a hundred miles a minute on his laptop. I can't wait until the battery dies on that thing because he's going to start bitching about how he can't find his car adapter…well I took the car adapter. Seriously, you should see this Elena. He has papers falling out of a briefcase all over the back seat and thirty ounces of coffee four inches from him. I'm not even sure he knows it's his birthday. I think I'm going to have to send him an e-mail to remind him." Rude explained. "So back to my question…are you there?"

"I just got parked. I'm taking my seatbelt off as we speak." Elena said.

"Good, we're about twenty-five minutes behind you…that is if Reno would listen to what the GPS is telling him to do!" Rude said irritated at Reno's driving abilities.

"I'm going to unpack and then head down to the boat to get things ready. The timing will be about right." Elena said laying her keys in the seat of her car and putting her purse on her shoulder.

"Great. Can you hear that? Can you hear Tseng bitchin' away at someone back at work? It's a Saturday Elena…a _Saturday_. Why the hell does he actually think we're being debriefed on a Saturday? Here…I'm going to hold the phone up and let you listen to this." Rude said holding his phone up toward the back seat. Elena laughed as she piled her arms full. "You hear that? It's a one hour, fifteen minute trip to Healen…that has been going on for one hour, ten minutes. How can he possibly have any battery left in that damn phone?" Rude deduced.

"You know the boss, he probably had that thing charged for the trip." Elena said clumsily putting several covered dishes down in front of the door so she could search her purse for the key to the lodge.

"I hope you have something in mind to calm the boss down." Rude said.

"Huh? What? Why…why…why me? Why would I…have something to calm Tseng down? What makes you think I have a way of possibly…" Rude cut a fast talking Elena off as she shoved on the door repeatedly.

"I think we just missed the turn. I'm never letting Reno drive again. Do we have to drive to the dock or is it in walking distance of the lodge?" Rude asked.

"It's in walking distance, but it's a pretty good hike. I'm going to walk so I don't have to take my car to the docks but you can do whatever you want." Elena said.

"Okay, we'll figure it out when we get there. Can you hear Tseng bitching about the fact that his phone's battery just went dead?" Rude asked. Elena laughed again as she propped the door to the lodge open and began carrying things inside.

"Yes, I hear him." Elena said.

"Alright, I'll call you again when we get there." Rude said trying to make it sounds very business-like.

"Can you believe that! Can you seriously believe that my phone's battery just died! I was in the middle of an important call right there! It was fully charged this morning before we left. How can it possibly be out?" Tseng questioned to neither Reno nor Rude in particular.

"Well, Tseng…you've had that thing on your ear this entire trip to Healen so I'm just guessing that you've talked the life out of it." Rude said. Tseng sighed and shoved his now useless technology on the inside pocket of his jacket. At least he could still obsess over his laptop for the short remainder of the trip.

"Yo, boss? I'm getting' ready to tell you somethin' and I want you to know I mean it in the least possible gay way." Reno said as he made the now correct turn to Healen Lodge.

"Okay. Do you think there will finally be a printer at the lodge?" Tseng answered him only half paying attention since he was focused on typing up a rough draft of a letter on Shinra letter-head template.

"You smell really nice and I don't know about the printer." Reno said.

"He's right boss, you smell like…really nice fabric softener. And we mean that completely non-gay." Rude said backing Reno up.

"Uh-huh." Tseng said obviously completely engrossed in his laptop and not truly hearing what Reno and Rude were telling him. Rude's phone rang .

"Yeah." He answered it.

"Rude! There are twelve sailboats docked down here! Which one is Rufus's?" Elena asked wandering around on the dock that jutted out into the beautiful and vastly large lake nestled behind Healen.

"Oh…ummm. It's…uhhh…the…you know…the one. I don't know for sure. I thought there was only one there!" Rude said as quietly as he could.

"Damn it Rude! Okay, well there has to be a directory around here somewhere. I'll find it. You get all unloaded and head this way." Elena said hanging up her phone less than thrilled with Rude for having no clue which one of these boats were Rufus Shinra's. Shortly thereafter Reno pulled in to Healen Lodge.

"Hey Tseng, you know how we uh…we said we were here because of a debriefing?" Reno asked him.

"Yes, just give me a minute to gather up these papers and…" Reno cut him off.

"You don't need your papers, boss." Reno said still not getting out of the car.

"Do you think the wireless signal will be stronger this time? Should I take…" Rude cut him off this time.

"Boss, boss, boss…we uh…we have something to tell you." Rude said.

"Okay, I'm listening I just need to put these papers in files and…" Reno cut him off again.

"Tseng! Stop, man just…just stop for three seconds…" Reno said.

"Okay?" Tseng answered him putting his papers down.

"Tseng…happy birthday." Rude said.

"Yeah, boss in case you forgot you're thirty-six today and we kinda' lied to you about the debriefing. We aren't here for a debriefing or anything else work related. We're here to party." Reno said.

"What?" Tseng asked a confused and serious tone.

"Put all your crap away and shut that damn laptop down. We're going to unpack and go change clothes because we're going sailing on Lake Meid. Reno, Elena and me have been putting this together all week. We're staying here at Healen overnight." Rude explained. There was silence in the car.

"You're bullshitting me, right?" Tseng finally asked still not completely convinced.

"No, man. We aren't. This weekend is your party." Reno said. Tseng finally laughed at them.

"Oh my god, I hate you both." He said.

"Excellent! That's exactly the reaction we wanted!" Rude said. "Come on, let's get unpacked. We need to change and get to the boat because Elena is waiting on us." Rude said finally getting out of the car. Reno had pulled in behind Elena so they would have plenty of room to unload everything. Rude's phone rang again as he headed up the stairs to unlock the lodge door. "Yeah. We just got out of the car and Tseng was totally surprised. Oh yeah, he's half pissed at us and half surprised that we were actually able to keep it from him for a week." He answered her.

"Great! Well, I found the boat. It's the 7th one on the right side of the dock. It has blue sails and it's the _Lenora Leigh_. We're ready to sail." Elena explained.

"Okay, we'll be there soon." Rude said hanging up his phone. "That was Elena, she has the boat ready."

"She has the boat ready?" Tseng questioned now that he had his hands full of stuff he had packed with intentions of working all weekend.

"Yeah, like we said…we're goin' sailing and apparently…Elena knows how to sail." Reno said.

"Are you serious? She knows how to operate a sailboat? That's…impressive." Tseng said dropping everything on the couch inside the combined kitchen and living room area of the lodge. He seemed rather charmed by this. He had no idea she had that talent.

"She also made some of that crap you like…you know that weird shit that looks like it should be good but it turns out to be tomatoes? I'm tellin' ya man…we went all out for this." Reno said changing into the first shirt he could find in his overnight bag.

"You mean bruschetta? She made bruschetta?" Tseng asked pleasantly surprised.

"Yes! That's the stupid crap she made! Me and Rude wanted to take you to a bar downtown that has the best prices on pitchers anywhere but Elena said that was stupid and that you don't even drink beer and...you know what…not important…we gotta get to the docks. " Reno said snapping his fingers and pointing at his superior.

"Yeah, it's obvious that she _listens_ when you talk…and me and Reno…whoa…there is some good looking food in this fridge." Rude said opening the refrigerator door to fill it with the Sauvignon and Pinot Noir that Reno had picked up the day before.

"Yo, which room you want, Tseng?" Reno asked.

"It doesn't matter, any of them are fine." Tseng said un-tucking his shirt and pulling his tie off. He slung it around his neck and picked up two of his bags.

"It's your birthday, although it looks like Elena took the room with the couch that pulls out into a bed. She has her fancy car keys on the table in there and her fancy designer suitcase in there. Damn…that room kicks ass…I swear that room is a freakin' aphrodisiac and I have no clue why I think that." Reno said. "Come here, you can see part of the lake from back here." Reno said standing near the long window of this cozy room that Elena had claimed.

"Hey! Come on you two! Elena wants to get that boat in open water by noon! You can put your stuff away later, just get changed!" Rude called from the front door.

"I'll just get changed quickly. I'll pick a room when we get back." Tseng said throwing his suitcase on the couch and unzipping it to quickly sort through his stuff.

"You change, I'll get your laptop from the car." Reno said. A few minutes later the three of them were finally back in the car and driving toward the docks. Rude decided they would save time if they drove to the docks instead of walking the ten minutes it would take otherwise. Rude insisted on driving this time.

"You know how I despise the unpredictable." Tseng said. "I must say though, you did good on this one." Reno laughed.

"Damn right we did!"

"And I can't believe Elena knows how to sail. My god, that's…that's so...well, people don't just…up and know how to sail. We were just talking about sailing last week and she didn't mention it. I told her about how much I'd love to go sailing someday." Tseng said.

"Sounds like she knows ya' pretty well, boss. I mean hell; she had to tell me how to spell that shit you drink." Reno said.

"You mean…Sauvignon? Elena told you that I drink Sauvignon? She…she remembered that? And you have that…here?" Tseng questioned.

"Well, yeah. I felt like an idiot buying that shit." Reno said. "Yeah, to tell you the truth I couldn't remember what the hell it was you drank but she told me.

"Yeah, and remember…we would have proposed the bar idea?" Rude said.

"You're right….such a miserable idea…." Tseng said.

Meanwhile, on the boat Elena headed down to the cabin to check things out and to make sure there wasn't any surprises such as a low fuel light. Sure it was a sailboat, but it still required an 85 horsepower motor to get it out of the idle zone and in to open water. Not to mention it was a great safety backup in the event the winds changed. She checked the controls, checked the fuel and checked to ensure there was nothing that would go flying across the cabin during their trip.

"Elena!" she heard a voice call to her from the docks. She rushed to the upper deck from below and smiled.

"Hey! It's about time you made it!" she yelled at Reno smiling all over.

"Rude blames me…I blame Tseng…anyway…damn this is a nice boat." Reno said stepping over the rails and onto the boat. "Wow…"

"What?" Elena asked him tightening one of the ropes.

"You uh…you look…hot…I mean…not that you normally don't... I'm just used to seein' you in a suit and tie but uh…damn girl." Reno said.

"Elena blushed as she continued tugging on one of the ropes to get the sail completely unfolded.

"Thanks." She answered him. Elena did look beautiful in her white eyelet halter dress. "Just have a seat for now, don't worry I have jobs for you all later."

"Elena!" Tseng said to her. She let go of the rope and spun around.

"Tseng…happy birthday oh and uh….surprise! We're going sailing!" she said rather nervously. God, he looked good, at least…in her eyes he did. He made her weak in the knees and she almost forgot what she was doing. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she wanted him…bad.

My apologies for any typos, please let me know if you see any. I proofed this quickly.


	3. Sailing Lenora Leigh

"Look at this thing! I can't believe Rufus just…has a sailboat and who do you thinkLenora Leighis?" Rude asked.

"Lenora Leigh? Is that this boat's name?" Tseng questioned.

"Yep, _Lenora Leigh_…it's right here." Reno said pointing to the side of the boat below him. Tseng laughed.

"Wow, he must be more serious about her than I thought."

"Huh?" Rude questioned.

"Lenora? You've never heard Rufus talk about Lenora? If I were to guess Lenora will be Mrs. Rufus Shinra within the next year." Tseng said.

"How do you know this stuff? Of course, Rufus talks to you. He looks at me and Rude and is just like what the hell do you two want? Shouldn't you two be doing something?" Reno said. "Elena, do we need to help you?" he asked her.

"Nope, I got it. I'm going to untie us from the docks and we are going to head for open water. Oh, there is a rule though. Even though it's Tseng's birthday, no one gets hammered at sea!" Elena said putting her hands on Tseng's shoulders. Oh god! Why the hell had she done something stupid like that! She wasn't even thinking! He was just sitting there and…boom…there went her hands. Damn it, damn it….why couldn't this have been Reno or Rude sitting here….it just _had_ to be the boss!

"Ha! We're on a freshwater lake…now can we get hammered?" Rude asked trying to get Elena on a technicality.

"You know what I mean, stupid! There's a bottle of Pinot Noir in the fridge in the cabin…_one _bottle! That's all anyone gets until we get off the water. Once we're off the water we can drink however much Reno brought." Elena cautioned.

"My god, you three outdid yourselves." Tseng said shaking his head.

"Shit Tseng, you work non-stop and this is a long weekend. You deserve a break!" Reno said.

"Aaaand look at that…my hands are still on your shoulders…" Elena said laughing nervously. She quickly pulled her hands away and walked to the back of the boat to unfasten the ropes. She threw them on the deck and made her final preparations.

"Elena how the hell are you gonna sail this thing? My god, you weigh like…a hundred pounds and this is…I don't know a lotta boat." Reno said.

"For your information, Reno. This is a thirteen foot schooner which isn't all that big and I weigh 120 pounds!" Elena said leaning over the side of the boat and directing it out of its slip.

"Ooooh it's that extra twenty pounds that's really gonna give us that added piece of mind." Reno said sarcastically. Elena started the engine that would get them out of the idle zone and into the open water. She laughed at Reno.

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing!" she said.

"If you know what you're doing then where is the wind? You said today was a perfect sailing day and I feel no wind, Elena." Rude said. Wow, these two knew how to be annoying.

"God Rude…the wind is going to beat you to death when we get to the open water which won't be long. This is a cove, winds are knocked down in coves." Elena explained as she turned the boat and headed it out of the cove. She stood toward the back of the boat as she eyed the mainsail and prepared to kill the engine when the wind caught the sails. It was true that as they approached the mouth of the cove the white caps on the lake were evidence of a perfectly windy day. Normally sailboats didn't reach high speeds but with winds like these they would have a good cruising speed. Elena could feel her heart beat faster as the boat crept toward open water. "Listen, you all need to hold on because the winds are going to grab us hard. You _will _get hit with overspray but that's part of the rush of sailing. Now, when we turn this thing its going lay over like you wouldn't believe but just hold on and we'll straighten out quickly." Elena warned.

"Elena, are you sure you know how to do this? That water looks rough out there." Reno said skeptically.

"Not much longer. Hey Tseng, you ever been on this lake before?" Elena asked as she kept a close eye on her timing. She wasn't nervous anymore. She was in her comfort zone, manning the ropes and about to hit the freedom of open water.

"No, never. I've heard so much about it though." He answered her.

"If you really wanna feel something go to the front seats." She said referring to the bench seat that also served as storage at the bow of the boat. "But if you're gonna go you better do it now." Elena instructed him.

"Well, okay." Tseng said not seeing any reason why he shouldn't be at the bow of the boat. Elena could feel her heart beat even faster, she knew what a wonderful feeling it would be when the wind broke.

"Get ready, get ready." She warned.

"Oh shit, we're all gonan die. Tseng…it's been great knowin' ya. God, you're an idiot to be sittin' all up there at the front of this thing." Reno said gripping the side of the boat for dear life. It was only a matter of time before he screamed like a girl. It seemed Tseng was the only one in the boat right now that trusted Elena because Rude was so nervous that he had jammed his glasses into his pocket and was also gripping the side railing until his knuckles turned white. And then, Elena killed the engine as she released three sets of ropes from the stern. The wind hit hard catching the sails and lunging the vessel forward quickly. Elena smiled, delighted at the sights of the tree lines in the distance and nothing but open water in between.

It was marvelously sunny and windy and the lake was sprinkled with other boats. Water splashed up around the sides as the boat broke through white caps. Elena felt nothing but excitement overcome her. She moved from the back of the boat to the middle to adjust the sails. The wind rushed through her short blond hair and teased her dress. She couldn't have looked more nautical, like a true captain and this was her fleet.

"Wow…" Tseng said mostly to himself as he leaned forward and put his hands on either side of the railing at the front of the boat. He was entranced by this feeling, like flying on water.

"Whoa…this is some cool shit." Rude said as he loosened his grip on the side railing and relaxed.

"Yeah…I've never done anything like this before." Reno said a bit taken aback as he looked around the open waters before him. Once Elena had all the sails out she made her way to the front of the boat, climbing over rails and the beams of the sails. She untied two ropes along the way and pulled them taunt. She stepped around Tseng and tied her ropes in their respective places. She took another rope and stepped up behind him wrapping it around her wrist and tugging on it. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her free arm.

"Where did you ever learn how to do this?" Tseng asked her loudly over the wind noise. Elena looked over her shoulder. Oooh what a sight he was. He had never looked so carefree and work was the farthest thing from his mind out here. All that beautiful black hair being haphazardly blown around with every gust, the fine taste he had in high-end label clothes, and that strangely intoxicating scent that was reminiscent of fabric softener…the good kind…not the kind you found on sale in the front display that no one wanted…as if that weren't a perfect combination enough Tseng squeezed her arm ever so slightly. "Elena?" he said to see if she had heard him. She felt her heart jump into her throat as his fingertips brushed against her skin. She was also pretty certain that she nearly made a mess in her panties.

"Uh…oh…right….yeah…um…let me turn this thing so we can head for the main marina and then I'll tell you." Elena said regaining her composure once more. "Hey! You two! We're turning that way so get ready." Elena warned Rude and Reno. She danced her way to the other side of the boat with the rope still wrapped around her wrist. She tied it near where Reno was. He watched her make what he thought was a pretty damn intricate knot.

"You have pretty feet." Reno said out of nowhere.

"That is the creepiest thing you have ever said to me." Elena said laughing.

"Yeah, I feel creepy telling you. But sometimes the truth is creepy." Reno said. True Elena was barefoot and it was a wonder that she really could handle this boat considering how seemingly dainty her frame was. But she was quick on her delicate feet and that's what made her so skilled around a boat.

"Here we go!" Elena announced as she tied the sail and stepped up to the edge of the boat as lake water showered her legs. She held on to the mast as the winds shifted their direction. The weight shifted to the point where it felt like they would turn over for sure.

"Check this out, I can touch the water."Rude said letting his hand skim the surface. Elena leaned out as far as she could over the edge of the boat as they made the turn. She was truly the queen of the waters and the summer sun kissed her skin as she waved to other boaters that they passed while making the turn. "Elena, you're the coolest girl I've ever met. I can't believe I doubted you in my mind." Rude said. She laughed at him.

"Alright, it's time to straighten out and we'll reduce speed going in to the marina and we'll drop anchor there." Elena said untying another rope and running back to the bow.

"Am I in your way?" Tseng asked her.

"Nope, stay right there. I'm just going to tie this and we'll be headed for the marina. Tseng watched as she changed the direction again with merely the tying of a rope. "There we go. All done until we get to our spot." She said. "Now, you were asking how I learned to sail?" Elena said sitting on the bow across from Tseng with her hands on the railings on either side of her. He had his back against the mainsail mast.

"Yeah, how did you…my god this is…I'm really speechless here. This is amazing, so how the hell did you learn to do it?" Tseng asked in his utter captivation. Elena blushed a little.

"Well, when I was a kid my dad bought a sailboat. I was ten and my sister was twelve. And he made both of us take sailing lessons from this guy that was an experienced captain. My sister hated it; she hated everything about that damn boat. And of course, there was nothing that my sister wasn't good at…except sailing. It was the only thing I was ever better than her at and I loved it. So, I kept taking lessons and I got better and better until pretty soon the boat became mine. My dad never operated it at all actually; I always did it every time we took it out." Elena explained. Tseng just realized that he had only heard half of what she said and what he _had_ heard her say he couldn't remember now.

"So…you like this, then?" he asked even though he had a hundred other questions he could have asked her instead.

"It's wonderful. The feeling of being on the water, the rush of the wind in the sails and not to mention you meet some wonderful people on the docks. It's fun to swap stories and learn from other boaters." Elena said. She had a spell on Tseng and she didn't even know it. The marina was coming in to sight. It was time for her to slow this schooner down as to not create waves as they entered the marina. She stood up and made her way to the starboard side. She untied one of the ropes and pulled one of the sails in. She did the same to two other sails, slowing the vessel down substantially. "I'm going into the cabin to get the anchor." Elena said to both Rude and Reno.

"Reno, how many women do you think we could get to come join us from over there at the marina?" Rude asked.

"Man, we're in the _middle_ of the water the only woman we get is Elena and she doesn't count. But hey, if we were closer to that marina and they knew we had alcohol I'd bet that we could make it a _very_ happy birthday for the boss if ya know what I mean. Not to mention we'd find us a brunette and her friend and show them one hell of a time." Reno said.

"Let's get Elena to take us over to the marina and we'll make Tseng give her his credit card and we'll tell her to come back at dark." Rude said. Reno laughed.

"Wait…Tseng's credit card?"

"Well, hell you know his credit has to be better than yours and mine put together. She could heat that thing up in one of the boutiques in there while _we_ heat it up in here." Rude said. Reno laughed.

"God that is a great plan. Unfortunately, today is not our lucky day, man." Reno said. Elena returned with the anchor. She dropped it in the floor and pulled two more of the sails in, thus slowing the boat down some more.

"Hey, I thought you had jobs for all of us." Rude questioned Elena.

"I do once we get anchored." Elena said as they drifted into the marina harbor. Elena leaned over between Rude and Reno and dropped the anchor, letting it drop until she could feel the bottom. As it dug into the bottom of the lake, the _Lenora Leigh_ came to a halt. "We made it. I should probably pull another sail in so we don't pull loose from the bottom." Elena said.

"I'm impressed, Elena. I doubted you but you got us here without killin' us." Reno said. Tseng moved from the bow over to where Rude and Reno were sitting. She laughed.

"Okay, now that we're here. I want one of you to go get everything out of the fridge and someone else needs to go get everything out of the sink and bring it up here." Elena said.

"Why do you have stuff in the sink?" Rude asked standing up to fulfill Elena's request.

"So it wouldn't slide everywhere while we were traveling." Elena answered him.

"Oh, that does make sense." Rude said.

"Stay put Tseng. We're gonna get your weird birthday food." Reno said.

"It's not weird I promise. It's just bruschetta and a few other things." Elena said sitting beside Tseng on the side of the boat.

"I can't believe you did that. It's one of my favorites…even though Reno hates it." Tseng said trying not to look her in the eye. Instead he caught sight of the diamond on Elena's right hand. He picked her hand. Elena's entire body was suddenly paralyzed.

"That's a beautiful diamond. How may carats?" He asked rubbing his thumb over Elena's fourth knuckle. Even though her entire body felt lifeless, she somehow managed to answer him.

"Two."

"Who put it there?" he asked still examining it.

"Well, I did. Took me eighteen months to pay for it but it was worth it. Why do you ask?" Elena wondered.

"It just looks like something your boyfriend would have put there." Tseng said. He was still holding on to her hand. Elena laughed.

"I don't have a boyfriend." She said.

"Hmm…" In his mind Tseng wondered what the hell a woman like Elena was doing single.


	4. Blame the Box

The afternoon on the boat had shaped up into a marvelous one and it had turned into a marvelous evening as well. It was amazing how time slipped quickly away when you were surrounded by all the sights and sounds or a harbor marina. Not to mention, a fine bottle of wine was never an unwelcome guest. Of course wine also was to blame for Reno going into the cabin and scouring the palce for a pair of binoculars…which he found…unfortunately. He had been keeping a close eye on the next nearest anchored boat. In his words the other boat 'had much more to offer.' "Yo, refill my glass and let's check on our lady friends."

"Remember, no getting hammered until we get to the lodge tonight." Elena reminded Reno even though she herself was a bit on the buzzed side.

"Oh hell yeah. We really need to get to that boat on this boat because now…now the crew has gone from four to eight. Those chicks got friends." Reno said.

"Give me those!" Rude said snatching the binoculars away from Reno. "He's right…that is a nice view on that boat. "Tseng, blondes are still your thing right? 'Cause I got one in my sights that we might be able to get over here if we try hard enough. She was not on that boat earlier. Of course, she looks barely legal but that isn't a problem is it?"

"Rude, we already have a blonde on this boat." Tseng said swirling the deep red liquid around in his glass.

"What, Elena! Oh boss, come on! She doesn't count. It's just Elena! She's not a chick! Well…she's not like one of those chicks over there. My god, Elena can empty out a 44 pistol faster than...stuff. Granted, the kick in those things nearly knocks you over but still I bet none of those chicks can do that which makes them…chickier. By the way Elena, you're so damn clumsy so why the hell are you so graceful with this boat?" Rude asked. "What the…they have steaks on that boat!"

"You're so kind to me, Rude. I'm so glad to know that you think I don't qualify as a blonde chick. Oh and what I have waiting in the fridge at the lodge is better than steak." Elena said sarcastically.

"Okay, Tseng, the way I see it, we can get you a barely legal blonde and whatever friends she chooses to bring over here. Elena, you can get some chick action on just for today, right? Come over here and place your order." Rude said. Elena groaned and stood up, grabbing the binoculars from Rude.

"I'm so sure those girls will want to come over here and get with you and Reno. Since you know, you two have women constantly beating down your office doors to get to you. Wow…those are some juicy steaks." Elena said examining the other boat. "You know what I think? I think you both reeeally need to get laid...bad… but right now we look like pervs with binoculars."

"Elena! We don't _look_ like pervs with binoculars…we _are_!" Reno said. Elena laughed at him and handed the binoculars over to Tseng.

"It's okay, believe me I have _quite_ the view." He said taking another drink of wine. Elena didn't quite understand that his comment was directed at her. She sat down beside him once more and poured more of the nearly empty bottle into his glass. "I think you should finish the bottle." Without even thinking Tseng put an arm around Elena which sent hot surges between her thighs. "You've done all the work. You got us here and you did all the cooking so I think you deserve the finish the bottle." Elena was mesmerized by the feeling of his hand on her bare shoulder. "Rude? What exactly did you contribute to this party? Elena did…everything. Reno apparently bought a lot of wine…now that leaves you." Tseng asked him.

"Hey, I contributed a lot! I…hung out with Elena and Reno on Friday. I…proposed the bar idea which was quickly shot down. Finally, I…served as a convenient distraction…oh and I took the car adapter to your laptop. Yeah, who am I kidding Tseng, I wasn't much help." Rude admitted.

"Okay, I'll finish this and then get us ready to head back to the dock." She said holding her glass out for Tseng to refill it. She knew one more glass wouldn't impair her ability to get them back to the docks safely. It actually wasn't a full glass, but her tongue was already slippery. She had to be careful because it was times like these, sitting this close to her boss that she had the potential to say something stupid like I wanna fuck you so bad.

"Yo, when we get back to the Lodge how smashed are we gonna get?" Reno questioned.

"I think we should drink until Elena wants to take her clothes off." Rude said teasingly. Of course had he known what was going through Elena's mind he probably would have never said that out loud.

"While you are over there thinking about me taking my clothes off why don't you pull the anchor up while I open these sails? We should start heading back. That can be part of your contribution to Tseng's birthday…pulling up the anchor." Elena said finishing her wine and sitting her glass down. She could feel Tseng's hand slip off her back as she stood to prepare for their return trip.

"Okay, you got it." Rude said. The sun was starting to sink on the horizon and Elena absolutely wanted to be back before dark. She tugged on some of the ropes and readjusted the sails accordingly. Once Rude had pulled the anchor up he laid the dripping metal piece near the cabin stairs. Elena shifted one of the sails by walking it from the starboard to the port side of the boat. They didn't need the engine to drift out of the harbor since the space was much more open than that of the area where the docks were situated. She held on to the ropes as the boat turned slightly and began to slowly drift out of the marina harbor. As the sun became weak, the swift moving air felt cool on Elena's skin. Once in open water again, she readjusted the sails for their increased pace back to the docks. It was a perfect sunset cruise. Elena took a deep breath and dreamily stared out across the water as she leaned back against the mast. She rubbed her arms now that she had tied the sails exactly the way they should be until they made the turn once more. She felt a tapping on her arm.

"You're cold, I can tell." Tseng said handing his shirt over to her.

"Where did you get that?" Elena wondered knowing that he had been wearing short sleeves all day.

"I brought it in case I'd need it. It's been on that bench over there. Here." Tseng said reaching a hand out to here. She took the soft, gray waffled shirt from him. She was indeed cold and she couldn't wait to put this on. She was a self-proclaimed wimp when it came to temperatures. His shirt was entirely too big for her small frame but oh god she was wearing _his_ clothes and she could fell her body throb. She looked positively adorable but Tseng wouldn't dare tell her that. Being in a hurry to get to the boat and forgetting to bring her own shirt was the greatest mistake she had ever made.

"Thanks…this is really soft." Elena said as she stepped down from the bench where she stood so that she could tug on the sails to make the turn that would lead them back to the docks. The sun's rays changed as Elena turned _Lenora Leigh _so she faced a new direction. It would be a matterof drifting now until the docks came in to view.

"There has been no better way to spend my birthday than this." Tseng told Elena as she plopped back down beside him.

"I knew you'd love it." She said. "Reno and Rude don't appreciate these kinds of things but I think even they had fun today."

"They appreciate nothing that has any cultured value to it." Tseng laughed. "Like the time I took them to a wine and cheese tasting thinking that would be such a great thing to do? They were too busy being pissed because they had to spit the wine back into the glass."

"They obviously didn't understand the point of a wine and cheese tasting." Elena said.

"Yeah. I should have taken you with me instead." He told her trying his best not to make eye contact with her. Elena could feel her face getting hot. Thank goodness it was time for her to get the engine started.

"There's the docks. I need to get the engine going so we can idle in." Elena said as her slim shadow cascaded into the sunset behind her. She pulled in another sail, latched it and headed for the cabin.

"Yo, Elena. We drove so we'll save some time goin' back." Reno said poking his head into the cabin. "That is once you get this thing parked and all. Is that what you call it? Parkin' it?"

"Actually, the term is docking but it's the same thing." Elena answered him. She stepped out the back door behind the engine to watch around her as she brought _Lenora Leigh_ back in to her slip. She didn't bother putting her flip flops on as she killed the engine and made her way over to the dock. She tied the back to the dock first as the rubber buoy kept the vessel from slamming in to the dock. "Throw me that rope?" Elena requested of Rude so she could tie the front of the boat to the dock. "Okay boys, our joyride is over. It's time to serious hit that Sauvignon hard and get some hot food cooking."

"Damn right!" Reno said pulling the car keys out of his pocket and making his way to the dock.

"Listen, I have an idea. I'm going to be a little while here tying up the sails and stuff so why don't you all head back to the lodge, get the two dishes out of the fridge and put them in the oven until they bubble." Elena said. The nice thing about Healen Lodge was that since it was previously a facility for those infected with geostigma it had a fully equipped kitchen within it.

"Yeah, yeah okay. You're the boss, boss. What do you think?" Reno asked.

"It sounds like a good idea but she shouldn't be here alone, especially since it will be dark soon." Tseng said motioning toward Elena.

"She's a Turk, Tseng! She can kick some ass if anyone tries to pull some funny stuff!" Reno said.

"True…but she's still a woman." Tseng said sincerely. It was easy, especially for Reno, to forget that underneath the suit and tie, underneath her firm façade, underneath all the paperwork and long hours in the helicopters…there _was_ in fact a woman there; a refined, poised and well-read woman nonetheless. Reno laughed.

"No she's not! She's…ya know what it's your birthday. If you wanna stay here and help her that's fine. Me and Rude will head back and get the stuff in the oven like she said." Reno said.

"Alright, excellent. We'll be there soon." Tseng said waving Reno on. Elena had disappeared to the stern of the boat while this conversation took place. Once she had walked around the cabin she noticed that Reno and Rude had left.

"You didn't go with Reno and Rude?" She questioned as she pushed the sleeves of Tseng's shirt up on her arms and began winding the anchor's rope up.

"It's unfair for you to do everything. I'll help you then we'll get back a little faster than you anticipated." Tseng said though he really didn't know how much help he would be. Elena smiled.

"Okay, well, I'm going to tie these sails up. Why don't you go into the cabin and put all of the leftovers in that box that is sitting in the floor?" Elena said.

"You go it." Tseng assured her as she worked to tie up the first sail, strapping its layers against the beam. It was so peaceful on the docks tonight. The herons crooned along the banks as the daylight grew weaker by the minute. This must have been a private dock as there were few other boat owners to be seen. There was another boat with citronella torches burning from its deck. That could have only meant that the mosquitoes must be a nuisance in this cove. There was faint music coming from the same boat as well as smoke sneaking out of a deck-top grill. Bugs began to fill the air with their chirping waterfront symphony. God, this was life on the water, this was the way it was meant to feel, the dewy chill of a fast approaching June night, the patches of haze that began to loom over the surface from the clash of warm air and cool water, and the hypnotic sound of backwaters sloshing against the dock house. Elena sighed. Yes, there was nothing more placid than this. Elena tied the last sail into its place and remembered that she needed to put the anchor back in the cabin where she found it.

"All done up there." Elena said coming down the stairs. She put the anchor in a corner where it would be out of the way. "You know there's…" Elena's sentence was interrupted by her squeals of surprise as she fell over the box in the floor and into Tseng. She had just sailed a thirteen foot schooner entirely by herself yet she didn't see the damn box in the floor? Naturally, she couldn't have just tripped on the _edge_ of the box, no. She practically fell in and over the box and now she was conveniently laying on her boss. "Oh god, I'm sorry." She laughed at her own clumsiness.

"There's a box there." Tseng said wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her up.

"Yeah, ya' think? At least I didn't destroy it. We can still pack the rest of the stuff in it." Elena said. She realized her hands were on his arms and now she was staring at him like she never had before. She had never been this close to the Director before.

"You're…so, so beautiful. You know I'm proud and I can't get the words out." Tseng said completely unexpectedly.

"I think…you just did." Elena said softly. In the next moment her lips were pressed in to his. She wasn't sure how it happened, she wasn't sure who had initiated this but what she did know was that this was softer and gentler than she had ever imagined in her mind. Without even thinking, she let her hands roam up Tseng's arms and around his shoulders; her body pressing up against him. Tseng wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, letting his hands creep up her back. Their kiss intensified as Elena tried her best to fight the urge to shove her hips into his. She held on to him tighter and gasped ever so slightly as his tongue collided with hers. She pulled her face away from his in an aroused stupor. "Oh god…" she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Tseng asked her.

"I…I want more." Elena admitted, never having been that honest before. She kissed him again, harder as she held on to him. She pushed Tseng backwards against the wall as she let her body grind in to him, feeling exactly what she had hoped for. She could hear his hungry breaths for her and feel his hands on her hips. Elena wanted to take the shirt off she was wearing. It was hot down here in the cabin, retaining the heat from the day within its confines. Elena broke their intense kiss again and clambered to pull his shirt over her head. She laid it aside near the sink as Tseng aggressively took her in his arms again. She could feel him tug at the edges of her dress as their kiss turn intensely passionate. If Tseng only knew how wet her panties were he would have torn into her right there. "God, you're so sexy…" Elena gasped softly as she let her hips move against him.

"You are…you make me…oooh god I can't even tell you…" Tseng told her.

"Wanna show me?" Elena boldly asked as she took his hands in hers and pulled him away from the cabin wall and into the adjacent room. All the unspoken tension between them was about to climax…quite literally. Elena fell backwards onto Rufus Shinra's perfectly made up bed that was just off the kitchenette in the cabin. The last remnants of daylight fading peaked in through the light curtains of the cabin window. Elena arched her head backward and ran her fingers through silky black hair as she felt soft lips on her collar bone. Tseng moved his hands up smooth skin, pushing her dress above her knees. She didn't oppose to him running his hands up her cotton covered stomach, and over her breasts until they were behind her neck. Elena struggled to pull his shirt up and quickly gave up as she felt the knot at the back of her neck come untied. There couldn't have been a better time for her dress to have its own bra padding sewn into it because now here she was nude from the waist up and Tseng's hands on her firm, perky breasts. She moaned and begged to be touched breathlessly. Elena unsuccessfully pulled on his shirt but Tseng leaned back from her beautiful body and did the work for her, stripping her of her dress as well throwing most of his clothes to the floor leaving him only in soft cotton boxers. Elena pushed herself up and traded him places letting her legs fall on either side of him. There wasn't much between them anymore.

She indulged herself in ever line of his body as she let her hands feast on him. Elena had never seen his brown eyes so full of lust for her like that. Her hard nipples rubbed against hot flesh. It made Tseng ache for her. He shoved his fingers into the sides of her silken, wet panties but groaned for Elena as he felt where she had cleverly snuck her hand. He nor his cock could resist her any longer. Tseng traded her places once more, sliding her panties off her hips. She reached tender fingertips toward his abdomen as Tseng read her mind letting the last of his clothes top the pile on the floor. Elena could have foamed at the mouth for him right now. "Can you pull out?" she asked helplessly as she reached both hands out toward him. She had never wanted to be fucked so badly in her entire life.

"Yeah." Tseng promised her taking her hands in his. She pulled him toward her until his body was hovering over hers. Long strands of dark hair tickled her delicate neck as he kissed her. Tseng parted her legs slowly, too insatiably hungry for her to question whether or not they should be doing this. Elena squirmed slightly at the feeling of him pushing in to her. She held on to his shoulders as she tried her hardest to relax her lower back. She sighed desperately at what Tseng had just whispered to her. It made her body turn to jelly. Elena moved her hand to Tseng's cheek, pressing the side of his face into hers. Once again, his words lit her on fire.

He was panting for her in no time, feeling every curve of her wrap around him. Her body was tight and divinely toned all over. This may have been the hottest thing she had ever done. Elena knew she kept digging her fingers harder and harder into Tseng's shoulders but he didn't seem to care. She cried out in a heated fury for him; letting her body move with his in a circadian rhythm. It was as if they were made for each other since it was apparent that Tseng wanted her as much as Elena wanted him. The more Elena pleaded for him, the more it fueled him. Their breath collided mercilessly; Tseng's filthy words polluting Elena's mind and her responses just as toxically sweet.

Tseng issued Elena a warning. She wanted him to make a mess out of her and inevitably, it would happen. The harder Elena whimpered for him the more Tseng knew he was going to have to act fast. It took a man with some experience to get the timing right…and Tseng had it. Elena cried out in pleasure as she felt her stomach flooded; her breathlessness intertwined with Tseng's own desperation in his voice. He looked at her with weak, horny eyes. Elena put her hands on his face, letting her fingertips disappear into smooth, black hair. Tseng could feel his heart race as Elena held on to him. Her body was listless, she couldn't have moved right now even if she had wanted to. "That…was sooo good." She finally said softly.

"Oh god…sooo good." Tseng agreed with her. They would have a lot of explaining to do when they finally got back to the lodge.


	5. Confession

"It's been an hour and fifteen minutes and the thing in the oven is bubblin'." Reno said laying back on the couch.

"Where the hell are they?" Rude said sitting in the chair across from Reno.

"Call Elena's phone." Reno said throwing his phone toward Rude.

"It's your phone stupid, you call her." Rude said throwing Reno's phone back at him. Reno dialed her number only to hear her phone ringing on the table in the nearby room. "Damn it, she left her phone here." Reno said ending the call.

"Call Tseng." Rude said.

"We can't, his phone went dead on the way here remember?" Reno reminded him. "I swear, I'm eatin' the bubbly thing without him I don't care if it is his birthday."

"It's dark now! What the hell could they be doin' in the dark?" Rude asked.

"You know they're going to ask what the hell we've been doing." Elena said as she and Tseng followed the paved out path that lined the lake back to the lodge. Tseng would have had his hands all over her had it not been for the box he was carrying.

"You're right. It's dark and clearly we've been gone longer than expected. I think we should tell them what we've been doing and then savor the looks on their faces. Tseng suggested. Elena laughed.

"Seriously? You think we should?" She asked.

"Think about it. The worst that could happen is Rude will take off those glasses of his, look me dead in the eye and say what the hell man, you got laid? Then Reno will have that look on his face like he got hit by a bus and say something like so what position did ya do it in?" Tseng said. That made her laugh even more.

"Okay, yeah…the looks on their faces would definitely be worth it." Elena said. "I'm sorry I've never told earlier…you know…how much I was…unbelievably attracted to you."

"It's okay. It's not like I've told how much I love being around you or…how I've thought how you carry yourself is just impeccable. There just…aren't women like you." Tseng paused. "You have an appreciation for the finer things in life, Elena. Do you realize Rude wanted me and this girl to meet him and some other girl at a club? A _club_ Elena, a club! He said clearly upset with Rude over this.

"How did you get out of it?" Elena asked completely captivated by this story.

"I told her and Rude I was working overtime and then I never called her back which was terrible of me and very unlike me but…I blame Rude." He explained.

"Are you saying you'd call me back?" she asked even though she already knew the answer.

"Elena…I would do anything you asked me to do. But yeah I would call you back in a minute." Tseng confessed to her. Elena laughed.

"That's it! I'm tasting the stuffed shells. They just came out of the oven and they look too good to just let 'em sit there all steamin' and hot." Reno said discovering that the bubbling thing in the oven had turned in to stuffed pasta shells. Just when he and Rude had given up on Tseng and Elena the door to the lodge opened.

"Oh my god! Where the hell have you..." Elena cut Rude off.

"Hey, sorry you two have been waiting. We were havin' sex." Elena said calmly but loudly as she held the door open for Tseng. She knew if she didn't emphasize what they had been doing it would fly over both Reno and Rude's head. At that moment Reno had just tasted the stuffed shells but now he was over the sink choking to death because of what he had just heard. Rude had a completely unexplainable look on his face that bordered between 'no you _were_ not' and 'maybe they _did_'. He thought that perhaps Elena had been kidding and so he looked to Tseng for further affirmation.

"What? You wouldn't hit that? I've been _dying_ to hit that." Tseng told him as he sat the box down near the door. It would go in Elena's car the next day.

"Good God Reno get it together! It's not like we told you who came first." Elena said pounding him on the back. "Oh my god the stuffed shells are done! It's a good thing 'cause we're starving. Did you get the fococcia out too?" Elena asked turning around and facing Reno.

"You...wait just a minute! You...and him...so what position d'ya do it in?" Reno asked regaining his composure a little.

"A good one. Now give me a big spoon!" Elena ordered Reno as Tseng searched a drawer beside Elena for a wine corker.

"What the hell, man? You got laid!" Rude said taking his dark glasses off and laying them on the nearby table.

"Yes, Rude, yes I did. Oh my god! There are twelve bottles of wine in here!" Tseng said opening the fridge.

"Well, after that little piece of information I'll be drinkin' one bottle by myself! Besides do you realize how many different kinds of that crap there is! I was also being indecisive and since it's your birthday and all I went all out." Reno said.

"Elena, how does starting with the Xavier Flouret Sauvignon Blanc sound to you?" Tseng asked her examining all the bottles Reno had jammed into this refrigerator.

"Oooh my god, yes!" Elena said obviously delighted in the selection.

"Bet that's what ya' said with your legs spread too." Reno said.

"You either make yourself useful and get the salad out or get out of this kitchen!" Elena said laughing at Reno.

"So, you're not denying it, huh? You _may_ have said that with your legs spread? So he's pretty good? Hear that Tseng? You got it man, you got it!" Reno said grabbing Tseng's shoulders hard. "And Rude you still ain't doin' shit!"

"Yes I am! I'm sitting here wondering what question I should ask next! And still trying to wrap my poor mind around the fact that these two walk in the door and are all oh we've been having sex! They've never walked in a room and said that before!" Rude said a bit on the frustrated side.

"Technically, Elena said it. I just confirmed that it happened. For you." Tseng said shoving a glass towards Elena. She put her spoon down and swirled the pale liquid around, sniffing it as she did so.

"Nice crisp and slightly fruited scent." she said as she tried it. "Superb." she concluded pouring another glass for Tseng. "Okay, here's the salad. Shells are ready, there's the focaccia...alright you go first." Elena insisted trading Tseng places.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait...prove to me that you two had sex!" Rude said still feeling very frustrated.

"You just get anything you want. I'm taking the wine in there and I'll handle Rude." Elena said with her arms around Tseng.

"Shit, I believe you fucked her so I'm stayin' right here behind you because I'm hungry." Reno said. Elena carefully took her glass, Tseng's glass and the bottle of Sauvignon around the counter and sat all three items on the low table in the middle of the room. She sat on Rude's lap and put one arm around him. She leaned in close to him as Rude and he noticed she smelled like Tseng all over and it wasn't just because she was wearing his shirt either. She whispered everything to him..._everything._

"Holy…shit you clearly…clearly did not make that up. Oh my god…Tseng, you totally got laid. Okay, now that we have that taken care of I guess it's time to eat and I'm gonna get so drunk Reno will have to carry me upstairs." Rude said as Elena crawled off his lap. "Oh and uh, Tseng? Boss? Bet you never thought thirty-six would feel so good."

At last dinner was served and the first 'official' bottle of wine of the evening had been poured. The reaction from Reno and Rude is exactly what both Tseng and Elena had hoped for. Tseng had completely forgotten that all of this stuff was strung out in the room Elena had put her luggage in earlier. She was in for quite the surprise when she eventually went in there only to find his laptop on the table where her car keys and phone still laid as well as his opened luggage and suit strewn around on the couch. Guess it wouldn't matter that he hadn't put his stuff in a room earlier at all.

"Tseng, does Elena fuck as well as she cooks?" Reno asked.

"Oh my god, Reno! Do you seriously think he would answer…" Rude was cut off by Tseng's answer.

"Yes." He answered pulling her closer to him.

"Aww, thank you." Elena said.

"I need more of this wine, I don't care what the hell you call it I need more now." Rude said completely mortified by the fact that Reno not only asked such a question but then Tseng actually answered it.

"When we're done with dinner we need to take this party in the back room. It's so much cooler in there." Reno said.

"It's already freezing in here! How can you possibly want to go back there where it's even colder?" Elena asked him.

"Hey, hey, hey…he'll keep you warm but for him to do that you gotta be wearin' a whole lot less. Shit, I'm not even a little drunk. Do you realize how bad this is gonna get when I _am _drunk?" Reno said.

"I can only imagine. Okay, so when we finish this bottle which Noir do you want to open?" Elena asked of Tseng.

"You pick. I'll take anything you give me." Tseng told her.

"Ooh, I'm sure you would boss, I'm sure you would." Reno said finishing the rest of his glass quickly. Elena poured the rest of the bottle into Tseng's glass and returned to the kitchen to choose the next bottle. She gasped in excitement at one of the crimson treasures Reno had purchased.

"Ooooh yeah…this is good." Elena said sitting a bottle on the counter and corking it.

"Another thing Elena could have possibly said while underneath Tseng." Reno said. Elena reached over her head and pulled four more wine glasses out and returned to the table.

"Hey Rude boy? You're cleaning these dishes up." Elena said carefully sitting the glasses on the table.

"Why you got four more glasses?" Reno asked.

"Those glasses are for white wine…these are for red. You don't mix red wine and white wine in the same glass my god that's like…wrecking a fine car." Elena said.

"Elena, you're amazing." Tseng said. Rude had never heard the boss swoon like that.

"We don't give a shit! We're drinkin' to get fuckin' wasted. We don't care if this mixes 'Lena." Reno insisted.

"You two don't understand the beauty of a good wine. You never put a white and a red in the same glass." Tseng said examining the bottle that Elena had in her hand.

"You know what else I've learned, Tseng? You never put a blonde and her superior in the same boat and leave them unattended for longer than thirty seconds!" Reno insisted.

Once again my apologies for typos, I wanted to post this and didn't have time to proof. Better attention to detail in the next chapter, promise!


	6. Oh the Drunk Things We Do

This party had moved to the back room of the lodge. The back room was lovely; nearly solid windows on one wall with the exception of a fireplace in the center. The minimalistic staircase to one side of the room lead upstairs and it was true this room was much cooler than the front one; most likely because the oven had been on in the front room. The bottle of wine the four of them had just engulfed was already starting to take hold.

"I'm gonna make this real easy. You two take that couch 'cause ya know how much I love this chair. And hurry up with that wine will ya?" Reno said watching Tseng take entirely too long with the bottle

"Relax, Reno. It's my birthday remember? I'm allowed to read this entire bottle before I give it to you." Tseng said.

"Boss, I only hope that when I'm thirty-six, I get half as lucky as you have." Reno said finally getting the bottle he wanted. "Now, 'Lena…you've barely scraped thirty so you gotta ways to go."

"Huh?" Elena questioned sniffing the wine in her glass.

"Well, hell girl, you just turned thirty this year!" Reno said filling his glass a little fuller than what he should have. Tseng laughed at him.

"What the hell, Reno! I'm thirty-four!" Elena said.

"What the…no you're not! You're thirty!" Reno argued her. " 'Lena, 'Lena, 'Lena…you're drunk, you gotta be…because you're thirty! You're not thirty-four!" Elena looked at Tseng and shook her head.

"Reno…first. I think you're already a little drunker than you thought you were because you're leaving off the E in my name. Next, I was born in 1976…I am thirty-four years old!" Elena insisted as she tasted the Noir.

"Tseng, how the hell old is the woman you're fuckin'?" Reno asked.

"She's thirty-four." Tseng said still laughing at Reno and emptying the contents of his pockets on the nearby in table.

"Rude! Hey Rude!" Reno yelled at him. "Did you know that 'Lena is thirty-four?"

"Hold on a minute!" Rude yelled back. They noticed the lights go out in the front of the lodge.

"What are you yelling about?" Rude asked.

"Did you know that 'Lena is thirty-four?" Reno asked handing the bottle over to Rude.

"You are? I thought you were thirty-two." Rude admitted. Now that obvious lack of attention to detail had been exposed, Elena decided it was entirely too cold back here and so she left to put more clothes on. She went back down the hallway toward the front of the lodge and turned the lamp on in the room she had claimed as hers. She was quite surprised at the presence of Tseng's stuff scattered about. She wondered how it had gotten in here but shit, she didn't question it. She pulled her suitcase over and unzipped it, searching for something that would work. Once she had what she wanted she put Tseng's luggage on the floor and sat down in its place. She didn't change right away. Instead she stared at the suit beside her. He had obviously changed in a hurry. Elena looked around as if someone were watching her before picking up his shirt and jacket and burying her nose in the fabric. His scent was the sweetest poison to her and even though she was already drenched in his scent, she somehow couldn't get enough of it. She let a heavy sigh escape her as she put his clothes back in place beside her. Elena changed out of her dress and reluctantly folded Tseng's shirt and placed it on top of his suit. Frankly, she never wanted to take it off but perhaps she could exchange it for him instead.

" 'Lena! 'Leeeena! Before you come back in here get Tseng's man purse out of the front room!" Reno yelled at her. Elena did what Reno asked of her and returned to the back room.

"This is a laptop bag, stupid." Elena said to Reno as she handed the bag over to Tseng.

"No! He carries it too much for it to be a laptop bag." Rude insisted.

"Do you know how often I have my laptop with me?" Tseng said digging through it for his cell phone charger.

"I think that's an excuse for you to carry that bag all the time." Rude said. The four of them were nearly through this bottle of wine already.

"Rude, you're just jealous because you have no reason to have a laptop with you most of the day." Elena said picking up her glass and leaning over against Tseng. He put one arm around her and finished his glass off with the other.

"So, I'm gonna' ask…are you two…like a couple now or are you just sleepin' together? I mean, can I go up to people and say stuff like this is my boss and his girlfriend?" Reno asked.

"Yes, you can do that." Tseng promised him.

"I've been thinking about this. I don't understand why you two never got together sooner because you two have so much in common that it's frightening." Rude said.

"I don't think either of us can really figure that out either. I think it's a matter of I never told him how I felt about him and vice versa." Elena said.

"Yeah, I think that's quite true." Tseng said. "Rude, will you go get another bottle?" Tseng asked him.

"You got it." Rude said disappearing back down the hall momentarily.

"You know what I just remembered? I left a plate of seafood stuffed mushrooms in the fridge at home. I knew I had forgotten something! Damn it, those would have been so good with the salad!" Elena said as Tseng interlaced his fingers with hers.

"Is there anything you can't make!" Reno asked.

"I have to say, I can make a lot of stuff. Oh, Rude boy! You picked a white!" Elena said excitedly as Rude poured it in the 'appropriate' glass. He took Tseng's wallet off the in table in the process.

"Now that we're on our fourth bottle it's time to go through Tseng's wallet." Rude said. This would officially be the drunk bottle

"What the…why are you going through my wallet?" Tseng asked.

"Because you slept with Elena and because I can. Okay, let's look here…driver's license, Shinra ID card…well, one of them. Insurance card, oooh whose phone number is scribbled on this little piece of paper?" Rude asked.

"You better put every bit of that back where you found it! And that's Rufus' chauffeur." Tseng said.

"What the hell! I don't even have this number!" Rude complained. "Two credit cards and some kind of card that gets you a free bottle of wine after you buy twelve…imagine that." Rude said sarcastically.

"Oh my god! I have one of those!" Elena said excitedly. "I'm on number seven."

"Shit, you were made for each other." Reno said just as sarcastically.

"Look at this, look at this…a key card to Rufus' condo. My god, he must think you are a hundred times more reliable than me and Reno." Rude said.

"I _am_ a hundred times more reliable than you and Reno!" Tseng said laughing at him.

"Why do you have five hundred gil in cash? You gonna' pay Elena with this?" Rude asked putting everything back in Tseng's wallet.

"I like to have cash on hand and you can't a price on Elena." Tseng said.

"Damn 'Lena you musta' given it to him like nothin' else." Reno said. "Ya' know what? Hell, who wouldn't sleep with 'Lena? She's so adorable and she's the only girl I know that can rock a short haircut. Damn it, I am so drunk right now." Reno confessed. He was always the first to be drunk because he drank so quickly. It didn't take them long to get through the fourth bottle. While Rude had gone to get bottle number five Reno's phone rang. "Oh my god! It's Rufus. Everyone act sober! Act like…act like we normally do!" Reno said digging his phone out of his pocket. "We haven't been drinkin' at all!" Reno said as he answered the phone.

"Oh my god Reno! Give me that!" Elena said getting up and walking over to Reno, snatching the phone from his hand. Rude had returned, bottle in hand. "Hello Rufus." Elena said.

"It's not phone sex Elena! Give me that!" Rude said trading her the phone for the bottle.

"What the hell! All I said was hello Rufus!" Elena said sinking back into Tseng's arms.

"She won't sleep with you she's already doin' that with Tseng!" Rude said into the phone. He obviously thought Elena's hello was a sensual one.

"Oh my…give me that!" Tseng said holding a hand out to Rude. "Hi." Tseng greeted Rufus.

"Oooooh that's how I should have answered the damn phone!" Reno said disappointed in himself.

"Oh, you've been trying to call me? Sorry, my phone's…it's…" Tseng was having a little bit of trouble thinking of the word "…it needs charged." He finally said. "Thanks. Yeah, yeah we're up here in Healen for the night. What, the thing about Elena? Yeah, we're dating as of about three hours ago. No, see we kind of slept together and _then _we talked about our relationship. You're right but I've known Elena for like...what...four years? So, it's okay to do everything out of order. What! No! Aerith Gainsborough was...she was...okay, so maybe at one point I was a little hung up on her. Yes, Rufus I know Elena is...wait what! When you met Elena you told Rude that eventually I would end up with her! Hey...hey, there has always been a reason we park our cars beside each other. She knows I'm not going to hit her car doors and vice versa! That was never my secret way of getting to see her at least once every day! Okay, fine...maybe I did look forward to seeing her but she has always protected my car! "Elena is about six inches from me, why? Okay." Rufus wants to talk to you. Tseng said handing the phone over to her.

"What!" Elena demanded of him. "Because he's the sexiest man alive. Whatever, you go to hell, _sir. _Oh my god! I'm not telling you how many men I've been with before him...Four, okay! What do you mean that's lame! I don't sleep with everything, sir. Aww, you are so mean to me. Shut up Rufus, every man lies about how many women he's been with. The general rule is subtract two from the total number and that's how many women a man has _really_ been with. Like Reno for instance, he always tells other guys ten when the real number is eight." Elena said logically.

"How the fuck did _I_ get in to this conversation!" Reno asked through his laughter.

"Okay, bye. Here's Tseng again. Yes, I love you too Rufus." Elena said sarcastically. She handed the phone back to Tseng.

"Huh? No, Elena didn't have to use the formula on me because I told her that had it not just been me and her I would have lied and added two. Yes, that's truthful…seven is the truthful number. What do you mean I'm just as lame as Elena! Whatever Rufus, I'm not even gonna tackle that one with you. Are you serious? Where are they? Why do you keep condoms in there? No fuckin' way, they are? God, you know what to buy Rufus. I'm impressed. Oh, you learned about that kind from me? Oh, okay. Yeah, what do you need? Alright, and where is the spare key? Oh...put it...wait...give it to the doorman and he will put it in my deposit box. Yeah...yeah...okay. Sunday? Shit, hold on Rufus...I've had a lot of wine and there is no way in hell I will remember that…that flight number or the time." Reno and Rude were laughing hysterically in the background as Tseng dug into his laptop bag for a piece of paper and a pen. "Alright, go ahead. Okay...okay. Got it. Alright, Rufus we'll see you Sunday." Tseng hung up Reno's phone and threw it back at a laughing Reno. Needless to say, he didn't at all catch it.

"Will you come with me Sunday to pick up Lenora from the airport? He has dinner reservations for us as well...actually he's calling and adding you to the reservation." Tseng asked Elena.

"Oh my god! I get to meet Lenora! I will _not_ tell her what I did on her boat." she said pouring another glass of wine.

"You know she's probably done a lot worse on that boat. It's probably why it's named after her." Tseng said. Elena laughed.

"What the hell is so funny!" she demanded of Reno and Rude.

"Holy shit that's the funniest conversation I've ever heard in my freakin' life!" Rude howled.

"God, Rude boy you're so drunk." Elena said.

"Oh shit, the part with the cars! It's funny because it's so fuckin' true! And you both drive the same kinda' car." Reno said holding his glass out towards Elena.

"You moron! No we don't! I drive a SUV and Tseng drives a sedan!" Elena said standing up to fill Reno's glass. "Woo, stood up too fast."

"I don't care! They're both luxury cars!" Reno said.

"God, do you realize that Rufus actually _likes_ you? And I don't mean in a gay way. I mean…I mean he actually likes you as a friend. Tseng, hey Tseng…Rufus Shinra likes hanging out with you." Rude said.

"Hey listen…listen. I know my phone is in the floor. Make sure I leave it there 'cause its times like these that I could call my ex. No one let me call her! Do you people hear me!" Reno said nearly laying upside down in that stupid chair.

"Why is she still in your phone! I'm deleting her!" Tseng said leaning over into the floor to get Reno's phone.

"Yeah, that girl was a bitch, Reno." Elena said. "We won't let you call her."

"She wasn't always a bitch. You all just met her when she started getting all clingy and paranoid." Rude said.

"But OH MY GOD was she good in bed." Reno said loudly.

"So, hey are you gonna go out with that girl that waitresses at the pub in town or not?" Elena asked.

"I don't know." Reno said.

"Why wouldn't you? She's hot and she obviously likes you." Rude said.

"How the hell do you know that?" Reno insisted.

"Because she always asks about you when I'm there alone or if I'm with Tseng or Elena." Rude.

"Why the hell didn't any of you tell me!" Reno asked.

"We thought you knew she liked you." Rude said.

"No, I didn't know dumbass! Okay, so Tseng you and your piece of ass are gonna go out with me and that chick that works the pub next week. Now, I get to pick all the stuff. Nothing…that you know…you two would like. We're goin' someplace that has beer on the menu." Reno said meaning to point at Tseng and Elena…he was pointing at the staircase instead.

"You're pointing the wrong way you stupid fuck." Elena told him.

" 'Lena, 'Lena, 'Lena…shut your mouth or shove his cock in it!" Reno scolded her.

"Reno, you're pointing at me now." Rude said laughing at Reno. If he would have just sat up in that chair everything would have been fine.

"There, there…how's this?" Reno said finally pointing in the right direction.

"Theeeere ya go!" Rude told him. Oh the things that alcohol influence…good times, good times.


	7. I Get Weak

"What were you all doing when this song was popular?" Reno asked. At some point, he had turned on the radio for god only knows what reason. Its volume could barely be heard.

"Oooh my god, I was bartending and that was the year I qualified for the ballet finals. God, I remember this song. They played this in the bar constantly." Elena said. She was draped across Tseng's lap. "Those were fun times." Elena said remembering her days as a bartender and a ballerina.

"That's right you bartended for a while, didn't you?" Rude asked.

"Sure did! I can mix anything, honey. My stupid ass sister always drug her boyfriends into the bar thinking I would give them whatever the hell they wanted free of charge." Elena said bitterly.

"What the hell! You sail and you dance…why the hell are you so clumsy in everything else you do? And by the way do you still not talk to her?" Rude asked.

"Hell, no! She's still a total bitch and a total slut. Reno don't get any ideas 'cause I'm sure she would give you somethin' that you don't want. And I don't know why I'm clumsy Rude! I don't know!" Elena said. Reno laughed.

"Speakin' of sleepin' around with everything…I was fifteen…me and my girlfriend thought this was the coolest song ever and one night…this song got a hell of a lot cooler because this was the first song we listened to after we lost our virginity." Reno said.

"So touching Reno." Rude said sarcastically. "I remember…and please know…I have no fuckin' clue why I remember this…but I remember being at the Loveless Avenue train station waiting on a slew of Shinra employees to return from a mako mission and one of those employees was Tseng 'case he was a brand new Turk and that was when I first met him." Rude said.

"That's right…you've been a Turk longer than me. How the hell…did I get Director over you?" Tseng asked him. Rude, Reno and Elena laughed.

"Because you actually took your job seriously and all I did was shoot the shit with him." Rude said pointing to Reno. "Hell, I wouldn't want your job, Tseng. There is just no fuckin' way."

"Let's see…my dad died the year this song was popular and that was also the year me and Chanille called it quits after two years…my god how am I not a chronic drinker or drug user? If it was gonna happen, that would have been the year. Yeah, sorry about being a downer and all but I have few good memories of 1994." Tseng couldn't help but laugh at the fact that his memories were in so much contrast from Elena's, Reno's and Rude's.

"Man…shit…what about…1995?" Reno asked.

" '95 was good to me. Yeah, '95 was a much better year in fact." Tseng said thinking about that.

"Hey, 'Lena? If you could would you strip to this song?" Reno asked out of nowhere referring to the next song that he heard.

"What the fuck Reno! No!" Elena said emphatically. For some reason that sent Rude and Tseng into a fit of laughter. "Everyone knows that my official song to strip to is Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics!" Elena said. That sent Reno into a combination of cheers and laughter.

"Actually, Elena…I don't think _any_ of us knew that was your official song." Rude said.

"See! I told you both that when this place was built we needed to request that they put a pole right over there and you both said that was completely stupid! Not so stupid now, huh boss!" Reno said practically yelling. "Okay 'Lena…tell us about takin' your clothes off and then show what ya did. I know, I know, I know…it's his birthday you can just lap dance the whole routine on him." Reno said. "I have my phone, I'll video the whole thing!" Reno said.

"Okay, once upon a time when I was nineteen and my stupid ass fuck sister was twenty-two her friends dared us to enter amateur night and they promised the winner a day of shopping in which the winner could buy whatever the hell they wanted and her friends were payin'. Now, you may be saying to yourself why the fuck would they promise such a thing…well…they thought that my sister would win for sure because they knew I didn't have time to 'doll up'. My sister's friends were going to buy her this whore dress for some stupid thing so that's why they challenged me.

"What do you mean?" Tseng asked her.

"Well, I had just become a Turk and so I met up with her stupid friends right after work. I didn't have time to change and so when I walk in there with a suit and tie, her friends…" Tseng cut her off.

"Time out…did you…go on stage or whatever the hell you call it in the suit and tie?" Tseng asked putting his hands on her stomach.

"Yeah I did. I didn't really have other options." Elena confessed.

"Holy fuckin' hell…that is…." Tseng put his hand over his mouth.

"Don't even say it, man! That's the hottest thing in the whole damn world, 'Lena!" Reno said pointing at Tseng.

"Great, Elena…just great. Now we're all gonna picture you takin' your clothes off every time we see you at work." Rude said.

"Yeah, yeah. Boys will be boys oh yes they will! So anyway…long story short...me and my suit…or….lack thereof…won amateur night. My sister was pissed as fuck as were her friends because they had baited me into it thinking I didn't stand a chance against her." Elena said.

"Oh my god..." Tseng said as he put his head in his hand. Rude laughed at him.

"You're sweatin' boss!" Rude said looking at Tseng.

"You're right...I am."" Tseng said.

"So, did you win anything else?" Rude asked.

"1500 gil from the club, the shopping spree of my life from those stupid bitches, and the humiliation of my dumb ass sister." Elena said happily. "That's the _other_ thing I do better than my sister. Relax, you don't have to sweat anymore. I'll let you see anything you want." Elena said reaching a hand to the side of Tseng's face.

"Are you saying 'Lena, that he pretty much gets whatever the hell he wants but me and Rude are left outta this?" Reno said.

"That's what I'm sayin'!" Elena said.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay...okay...now..." Rude couldn't finish his sentence for laughing so hard.

"You're such an idiot! You just said okay six times!" Tseng told him.

"That may be true, but you slept with Elena six times." Rude said. Both Elena and Tseng thought this was hilarious. It was as if he hadn't heard anything that was just said.

"Oh Rude boy, you're killin' me!" Elena said.

"What is today...oh Saturday. By Wednesday of next week that statement will be true but currently, that statement is false." Tseng reminded him.

"Holy shit! You just used the words currently and statement in a sentence...and you've been drinking! You still got the brains, you still got 'em!" Reno said reaching for his phone in the floor.

"Noooo! You're not calling that slutty bitch." Elena said clambering to the floor and snatching his phone away from him. "Besides, Tseng deleted her number earlier." she shoved his phone into her bra.

"Oh, what 'Lena? You think I won't go in there and get that! You think that's outta bounds? Hey, hey, hey, hey...if he can get in, _I_ can get in!" Reno said.

" Hey, I may have played on a pole once in my life but you are not going in after your phone." Elena said pulling his phone out again and going through it.

"What the hell are we talkin' about right now?" Rude asked in confusion.

"And Rude's confusion is exactly why I have to say I'm gonna go crash. It's a hell of a lotta' fun though." Reno said.

"I couldn't agree more 'cause wine makes me so tired." Rude said staring at the ceiling.

"I'm gonna make a rule right now. I know that you two are gonna' get busy later and I don't wanna' hear anything. I wanna' go to bed and I wanna' _stay_ asleep! I refuse to be woken by either of you!" Reno said.

"Yeah, what he said!" Rude agreed. Elena sat up, feeling her head swirl a little.

"Shut up. I hate you both." She said as she now stood up and reached her hands out toward Tseng.

"You don't mean that 'Lena! You love us! Alright, I'm out. Tseng, happy birthday man. If I'm hung over in the morning it will have been worth it.

"Yeah…what he said. I'm just gonna' go along with anything he says because shit my mind is in a whirl right now." Rude said. Reno was first up the stairs as he turned the radio off before he disappeared. Both Tseng and Elena would take care of killing all the lights down here since _they_ were apparently staying together yet neither of them had talked about such. As Rude soon disappeared up the staircase, Elena pulled Tseng up from the couch and turned out the lamp beside the couch.

"I guess you're staying with me, huh?" Elena asked taking him in her arms.

"You know what…I just remembered that all of my crap somehow ended up in that room you're staying in. I never…picked a room or whatever." Tseng said a little incoherently. Had he not been holding Elena up against him the way he was and letting his hands pet her the way they were; that sentence probably would have made a little more sense. "God…that is…" Tseng sighed and buried his face in the top of Elena's head. "Shit, if you're gonna touch me like that…I'm just…gonna let you." He said. Elena laughed sweetly as she felt soft hands on her neck pushing her chin up towards even softer lips. Tseng gently pushed her up against the paneled wall of the hallway as eager hands explored her and tender lips caressed her. Elena's body was erupting in flames as she pulled his hips into her and she felt her knees fall weak.

"You're wet." Tseng whispered to her, clearly stating the obvious.

"Soaked." Was her breathless response. Tseng took her hands in his and led her down the hall further toward their room. He put his arms around her waist as he stood there in the doorway looking at all the stuff they were going to have to move around in here. Elena stood there staring around aimlessly.

"Tseng?" she said.

"Hmm?" he answered her. Elena leaned back into him.

"I am sooo drunk." Her voice was silky soft as she reached her arms up behind her and around Tseng's neck. She had no idea why she told him that but there was a kind of delicate seduction in her voice that drove Tseng insane. She sighed deeply as Tseng pulled her shirt over her head. She didn't care that she knew she would be cold…well…cold for a little while. She kicked her shirt in the door and stepped forward to move Tseng's suit elsewhere. Tseng closed the door behind him.

"You wanna know what you would look amazing in?" Tseng asked her laying on the couch, pulling Elena down on top of him. He could feel his head spinning but it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

"Yes!" Elena said smiling all over as he brown eyes sparkled with anticipation. Tseng pressed her ear into his lips. Elena's face lip up in excitement at what she heard.

"You know I can make that happen." she said digging her fingers into his hair.

"God, I can't wait to see it. Now you tell me something." he asked tightening his arms around her. She laughed.

"Normally, I'd be embarrassed to tell you this…well at least I think I would. Maybe not…but um…every morning before I get ready for work…when I'm still in bed…I umm…" Elena scooted herself up. The words that left her mouth made Tseng sweat again. He squeezed her shoulders tighter.

"Oh my god…I wanna watch you do that like you wouldn't believe." Tseng said desperately.

"Do you wanna watch or do you maybe wanna help…baby?" Elena asked before kissing him. Tseng felt his entire body weakly surrender to her. No woman had ever, _ever_ called him that and it made him want her like he had never wanted a woman before in his life. There was a good chance they would end up falling asleep on this couch like this. They both had seemingly forgotten to pull the couch out anyway. It was as if Tseng couldn't get her close enough to him in the way he held her against him. He unhooked her bra as their kiss turned to pure heat. That was all the answer to her question Elena needed. She moved her hands down his body until she was able to slip her fingertips underneath his shirt. Elena pushed herself away from him and let her bra fall off her shoulders as she shoved his shirt farther up his chest. He pulled it off the rest of the way for her. Elena laid back down as they resumed their kiss exactly where it had left off only with slightly less clothes involved. Thank goodness Rufus had told Tseng on the phone earlier that the condoms were on the top cabinet shelf in that very room.


	8. Secrets that You Keep

The best kept secret about Elena was that she had at least a dozen well kept secrets. Sure Tseng knew a hell of a lot about Elena but everything he _didn't_ know about her was the things that made him that much more smitten by her. On Saturday, after leaving Healen, Tseng had ridden home with Elena but had only spent a few hours at his apartment before arriving at Elena's house. God, would her neighbors be talking now. She was fortunate to have a house in the city and it was a beautiful home in a coveted neighborhood. It was no secret that Elena's parents had money but they hadn't given her even one gil on this 2500 square foot, three bedroom palace with an attached garage. She was the envy of so many so many families in the city who wanted a place such as hers to raise kids. It was a lot of house for a single girl but just right for a single girl that had recently become a little less single.

"I know you hate her but your sister really was a good Turk. A total bitch, but a good Turk." Tseng said as he flipped slowly through the pages of one of Elena's photo albums.

"You didn't know her very well did you?" Elena asked as she turned out her kitchen light.

"No, not at all. I just felt like I could trust her to get stuff done." Tseng said. "Of course, hell I was barely a Turk when she joined though." Elena sat a glass of ginger ale on the table in front of her couch as she put an arm around him.

"Yeah, she's good at everything she does. She was always mom and dad's favorite. That's her stupid academy graduation picture." Elena said.

"What the hell made her the favorite? Tseng wondered.

"Everything. I spent my entire childhood and young-adult life trying to keep up with her. She did gymnastics and tap, I chose ballet and ballroom, she was a cheerleader, I was on the dance team. She gave up on sailing for horseback riding, I stayed with sailing. I swore I was never going to be a damn Turk but I guess you could say I one upped her because I _did_ become a member of the Turks and then…I got under one." Elena said. Tseng laughed at her.

"You know, I will never understand sibling rivalry…I mean I can't. I got nothin' to go on. I always thought that having a brother or sister would be special but my god weren't you exhausted from all the…competing?" Tseng questioned her. He being an only child had grown up with a very different set of expectations.

"Oh god yeah I was exhausted. Through the eyes of my parents, I will never be as good as her, I will never outshine her. But as far as I'm concerned, I am so happy with my life." Elena said sincerely.

"You should be. My god, you have it all Elena. You should be very proud of yourself." Tseng told her.

"It's funny though, you'd think that my mom and dad would have been so impressed by this house. I was so excited when the realtor handed over the keys. My mother's comments were that's nice honey, you'll need some bathroom towels. My dad was a little more excited…he at least acknowledged that I got a great deal on this house." Elena explained.

"Yeah?" Tseng questioned as he turned the pages.

"Yep. Divorce settlement. It was in foreclosure." She said.

"That's exactly how Rufus bought his condo. It had been on the market for two weeks, he was ready to pay the asking price, and out of nowhere the realtor calls him and says the couple was getting a divorce. Well, he _had_ to make a decision in literally thirty minutes. I was sitting at my desk, buried in papers and he calls me and says Tseng I need you to take a check to Grater Realty Associates of Midgar and tell my agent that this is the down payment on the East Street condo." Tseng explained. Elena laughed.

"What the hell were you thinking when he told you that?" Elena asked as Tseng reached forward for the goblet of ginger ale that was on the table.

"My initial thought was my god Rufus you're the only man I know that can write a check for twenty-five percent of the asking price and my second thought was…shit it's a beautiful place and if I had the kind of money you did I'd be putting a down payment on it too."

"Oh so you saw it before he bought it?" Elena asked.

"Yes, yes I did see it and you'll get to see it tomorrow. Rufus runs everything by me before he does it. It's kinda' like Reno said…I'm pretty sure I'm…Rufus's best friend. Not only do I have his chauffer's number, a key to his condo, and now a key to his car. He wouldn't go on a third with Lenora without me approving of her first. Well, not really 'approving her' but giving him the go ahead to keep seeing her. And listen to this, eight months ago Rufus bought Lenora a ring she had wanted that cost over 23,000 gil. Rufus drug me in on that too. I'm so good at spending his money." Tseng said. "And by the way, I had a text from him earlier. I'll let you read it." Tseng said handing his phone over to Elena. She laughed when she read it: TELL ELENA TO DRESS FOR THE DANCEFLOOR.

"Oh hell yeah I'll dance with you Rufus Shinra!" Elena said. She and Rufus had been unofficial ballroom dance partners for a little over a year now. When Rufus literally woke up and decided he wanted to take ballroom dance classes (of which he coerced Tseng into as well) he had no idea that Elena was quite accomplished at it and had plenty of experience. Rufus had in fact, gone from a decent ballroom dancer to a damn good one with Elena's help.

"Okay, so what is in this album?" Tseng asked holding one of Elena's photo albums in one hand and a goblet of ginger ale in the other. "By the way do you care that I'm looking at these?"

"I don't care. And that album is probably just a bunch of miscellaneous pictures." Elena said. "See what I mean? Me and Reno's sister. God, that is so scary how much she looks like him. Look at all that red hair would ya?"

"Rude says she acts exactly like him too. I think Reno wanted her and Rude to get together and there's nothing wrong with her. She smokes I guess but no more than a pack a week so I really don't know why Rude _hasn't _at least gone out with her a few times or something." Tseng said.

"Well, he and Reno are best friends and all so that may be just kind of strange as far as Rude is concerned. What does she do anyway?" Elena asked.

"She's a bartender on the north end of town. She's done that for…about eight years." Tseng said.

"Do you think Reno will go through with asking the waitress at the pub out and make us go with him?" Elena wondered.

"I think he will and I think he will make us go to that god awful hole in the wall on 37th street. That place is he and Rude's official hangout. I would never take you there, I would take any woman near that place…yet I think we are going to get dragged into going there." Tseng said.

"It's okay. It definitely wouldn't be the shadiest place I've been to. It'll be fun even though Reno is the main planner involved." Elena said. Poor Reno, the guy just couldn't catch a break.

"I just hope that he attempts to go out with this girl more than say…once _before_ he sleeps with her." Tseng said.

"Maybe she's really loose and that will be something they have in common." Elena said. Tseng laughed at her.

"God, he does know how to pick 'em. I swear, Reno. He and him alone will be the sole reason I will develop hypertension in my early forties. So, where did you get these goblets? Do you seriously sit around and drink stuff out of these?" Tseng asked examining the finely cut crystal.

"I do. Of course I have a set of regular tumblers in the cabinets but I don't know I just…I kinda like these. Actually, I really like these…okay…I love them and I paid too much for them but I don't care. It was a splurge and they're beautiful." Elena said reaching for the two liter of ginger ale and refilling her glass.

"They are, they really are." He said looking at the etching on the bottom. As far as Tseng was concerned, he could talk to Elena the rest of the evening like this…and he probably would. She was so captivating, desperately interesting, and was more refined than anyone had ever given her credit.

"That's one thing about growing up in Wutai. I never saw anything like this until I came to Midgar. It wasn't that I grew up poor in Wutai. It's just a different way of life up there…it's simplistic and spiritual. They appreciate fine things like this yet such things aren't available. I bought my mom a necklace that was solid diamonds and it had an emerald pendant a few years ago. You would not believe the compliments and adoration she gets from wearing that. If I would let her she'd take it to her grave. I'm sure you know how a beautifully refined woman stands out like a trophy there. "Tseng said.

"Not really, my visit there happened so quickly and all. I guess I just didn't notice it." Elena said.

"You would be highly, highly respected in Wutai. There is nothing a man from Wutai loves more than a successful woman. I swear Elena, every guy I grew up with in Wutai that is still there would do anything to be with you." Tseng said putting his goblet back onto the table and putting his free arm around Elena as he turned the page.

"So, why did you leave Wutai anyway? I mean you did grow up there right." Elena questioned putting her head on his shoulder.

"I knew if I stayed there I would never have the life that I wanted. My father was successful but that was when _Wutai itself_ was successful. I knew I had to come here if I was gonna make it. Wutai's glory days of being an epicenter were over by the time I was about fifteen." Tseng explained.

"What did your parents think about that? My god, Wutai is so isolated and you being their only son and all…" Elena asked.

"You remember everything I tell you don't you?" Tseng asked her a bit dreamily.

"I sure try to." Elena admitted. Twenty-four hours earlier Elena would have blushed at agreeing to such a question but having slept with Tseng twice now seriously what the hell did she have to blush about?

"They were all for me leaving. They knew I could have a six figure salary if I came to Midgar, had I stayed in Wutai I would have ended up working troll lines or forging weapons because that's all that was left there."

"There is something so incredibly hot about that and I have no damn clue what it is." Elena said turning his head sideways and kissing him. Neither Tseng nor Elena could have predicted that this was how the planned trip to Healen would end. Of course, it's like they say…every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end. They were seemingly a good match for each other…so where would this beginning go?

Thanks for reading everybody! I hope you enjoyed it! I am writing another sort of 'spinoff' of this story and I hope that you will follow it with me! I don't have the title worked out yet but just look for another Tseng/Elena by my AkiraDawn or message me for the title!


End file.
